Parliament Judiciary Committee Summons Contractor over Delayed Wa Court Complex Project

Photo credit: Parliament

The Parliamentary Select Committee on Judiciary has summoned the contractor working on the Wa Court Complex project, Project 7 Limited, to appear before the committee next week following what members described as disappointing progress on the project.

The committee made the decision after an inspection visit to the project site in Wa, where members expressed dissatisfaction with the pace and quality of work despite earlier assurances that the project was about 90 percent complete.

Chairman of the Committee, Joseph Frimpong, said the situation on the ground was far different from what the committee had been told in Accra during previous engagements with the contractor.

According to him, the committee had expected to see a fully completed and furnished court complex after payments were made to facilitate completion of the project.

He stressed that the current state of the building was unacceptable, especially as the contractor had earlier been given timelines to complete the work.

Hon. Frimpong further raised concerns about the lack of disability-friendly access at the facility, describing it as a violation of Ghana’s building regulations which require public buildings to be accessible to persons with disabilities.

He warned that Parliament would not allow state resources to be misused and indicated that the contractor would be compelled to appear before the committee to answer questions regarding the delays and the utilization of funds released for the project. The committee chairman added that the project must be completed before the next budget hearing.

Ranking Member of the Committee, Bede A Ziedeng, also expressed disappointment, stating that the committee had approved payments for outstanding certificates after being assured that the project was nearly complete.

Current state of project

He explained that under Ghana’s procurement and payment procedures, certificates are only issued after work has been executed, making the current state of the project troubling.

Hon. Ziedeng noted that members expected the contractor to complete the remaining works after receiving payment, but their inspection revealed that even the main building remained incomplete.

He also questioned the absence of the contractor during the inspection visit, describing it as unfair to the committee which had travelled to assess the project firsthand.

According to him, the committee has requested Interim Payment Certificates (IPCs) paid to the contractor in order to assess whether payments made correspond with the level of work completed.

Meanwhile, Deputy Ranking Member of the Committee, Umar Alhassan, said the visit demonstrates Parliament’s commitment to effective oversight.

He encouraged parliamentary committees to regularly undertake site inspections to verify claims made by contractors and agencies in Accra before approving payments.

The Wa Court Complex project is expected to improve judicial service delivery in the Upper West Region once completed.